River Road reopens to traffic

River Road has reopened to traffic after being closed since Wednesday.

According to Malissa Talbert, spokeswoman for the City of Wilmington, city crews opened the road Friday morning. The city closed the road at 5 p.m. Wednesday because crews found a potential sink hole forming in the road. The road was fully closed at the Motts Creek Bridge, just north of Sanders, to just south of Independence Boulevard at the Barnards Creek Bridge.

“City staff noticed cracks forming in the road on Wednesday and decided to close the road as a precaution after further investigation,” Talbert said. “On Thursday, the city brought in experts to assess the area with soil testing and geotechnical drilling. No hole was found underneath the road, just some soil settling that caused the cracking.

“Because of the sandy soil, there have been similar problems in this area in the past. Although there are no definitive findings yet, the soil condition, along with recent construction activity in the area, is thought to have contributed to the soil settling.”

Any long-term repairs needed for the road will been identified after crews complete a technical assessment.